This chapter generally introduces the book, and deals with the historical, cultural, political, and economic context within which Nigeria stands.

Discussing the reason for the book, it explores the ownership, the laws and oil politics, management of oil-related pollution, and the reason for comparing US and Nigeria, despite the US being a developed country. It discusses factors that hinder environmental justice and identifies the impacts of oil-related activities in Nigeria. It explores how colonialism contributes to inequities in Nigeria and how weak penalties and non-provision for procedural environmental rights in the law exacerbate environmental injustice. Findings also reveal that there is a connection between oil exploration and environmental injustice in the Nigerian Niger Delta, attributed to the laws, disparity between law and reality, and enforcement failures. Furthermore, it finds that economic interest caused by oil dependency, an ineffective federal structure, conflict of interest, limited powers of the regulatory agencies, legislative gaps, and reactive enforcement affect regulatory enforcement show a pattern of environmental injustice.

It concludes that the laws were originally focused on economic benefit leading to an unfair share of benefits/unequal distribution of goods and burdens, and summarises actions taken by the author to achieve the aims of the book.